All Aboard! -- Year 1
by HootySnooty
Summary: AU What if Harry Potter had already known how to get to platform 9 3/4, no thanks to the Weasleys? Would his life-and the fate of the world-change that drastically? Includes slytherin Harry, hufflepuff Hermione, and still gryffindor Ron. WILL BE PAIRINGS! However, they're way too young-and too busy-at 11 yrs to be thinking about love now (rating might change).
1. Chapter 1

**I've loved the idea of Harry Potter AU's ever since I started reading them! I've seen some great ones, but I have to say, my favorite AU concepts are the ones with minute changes, like 'what if Harry kept his letter to himself instead of handing it to the Dursleys?' Some others I also like have big changes that alter the entire wizarding world, such as 'what if Grindelwald had won?'**

**As said in the description, here's the 'what if' that came to _my_ mind: 'what if Harry already knew how to get to platform 9 3/4?'**

**I hope you enjoy it! Comment and favorite!**

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Chapter 1

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"_Now all yeh have to do ter get to Diagon Alley, Harry, is tap the brick three up and two 'cross from the trash can, like so…"_

"_Wow… It just opened up, like magic!"_

"_Ah 'course it's magic, Harry. Yeh know, better get used to magical walls. Have to go through summat like that ter hop on the Hogwarts Express, now don't yeh?"_

"_The Hogwarts Express?"_

"_Mmhm. Takes a bit of a while to get dere… Hogwarts, I mean. An all day train ride, i'fact. Anyway, once yeh get to King's Cross Station, go up to the stone barrier between platforms nine an' ten, and walk right through ter Platform 9 3/4!"_

"_...Just walk right through? A _brick wall?"

"_Well, walk quickly o' the sort. I suggest you push your luggage in front of you if yer nervous… or jog backwards, eh? Then yeh won't chicken out'f it, that's what I did me first time."_

…

That was how one Harry Potter stood staring at the brick wall between platforms nine and ten, with a smug Vernon Dursley leering behind him. The first day of school had finally come, September 1st, and Harry could tell his Uncle was itching to finally be rid of his "abnormal" nephew as soon as possible. The small fact of an apparently non existent train had Mr. Dursley growing increasingly agitated.

"Platform nine and three-quarters? You're being daft, there's no such thing!" Mr. Dursley bellowed, then looked over his shoulder to see if anyone else had heard him. His voice dropped to a hushed whisper. "I've had enough of this nonsense, boy. Don't go blabbing lies if you're just now finding out your stupid school doesn't exist, that it's just a mess of hooligan pranks!"

Harry heard Mr. Dursley's voice raise once again to shouting-level behind him, and he imagined the spittle flying from from his fleshy, beet-red face. Refusing to believe his uncle, Harry said nothing. With Hedwig ahead of him and Hagrid's words in his mind, he took a deep breath and began to push his luggage cart slowly towards the brick wall.

_Well… no use waiting around._ Harry thought, _I already know how to get to the platform, right?_

"Boy, what do you think you're doing… BOY!"

Hearing his uncle's heavy footsteps thudding closer, Harry picked up his pace, breaking out into a full-fledged run. Harry squeezed his eyes shut tight, bracing himself for the impact.

_Please, please, PLEASE work!_

"BOY, GET BACK HERE! WE'RE NOT PAYING FOR BROK-"

And wonder of wonders, Harry heard his uncle's sputtering shouts end abruptly. Blinking his eyes in surprise, he looked around in a mix of shock and awe.

All around him was an intense hustle and bustle of people wheeling baggage carts around just like his. He saw reluctant children hugging their parents, and older children meeting up with their friends. He even saw a few whoosh over the heads of the crowd on broomsticks, like the ones in Diagon Alley. However, no matter what age they were, all of the children were slowly making their way towards a large, red-and-black, magnificent train.

Harry gulped quietly. He had never been on a train before. Just today was his first time at a train station. As it always was, Harry stayed home whenever the Dursleys went out to anything special (save for that one day at the zoo). He remembered one year when Dudley, Uncle Vernon, and Aunt Petunia went to spend Christmas Eve on a dinner train. Dudley told him that the train was slow and boring, and the food could have been better. Then again, a lot of things in Dudley's mind shared the same characteristics.

Harry's mind couldn't stop buzzing. Was this train different than normal trains? Just where was Hogwarts located, anway? One sudden thought left Harry feeling like there was a pit in his stomach. To board a train, didn't you need to buy a ticket first?

He was too preoccupied in his worrying he didn't hear the owner of a sharp-lipped voice walk right up to him. "Excuse me young man, you seem to be lost."

Harry whirled around to find a tall, older girl of about 15 years, with curly, brown hair and a tight, drawn face. She was looking down at him expectantly.

"...Me?" Harry asked, pointing at himself after looking all around him to make sure it was really himself she was talking to.

"Yes, of course you." The girl shook her head, "Never mind, I think I've answered my own question. Lost you are. Now, it is my duty as Prefect to help troubled first years like you. Come along now," Moving to stand beside a bewildered Harry, the girl began to help push his cart towards the train. Harry could scarcely open his mouth to ask questions before the girl jumped into somehow dignified-yet-terribly-excited rambling as they weaved through the crowd.

"A ticket to ride? Of course not, no. This isn't a profit train, you don't need a ticket. You must be muggle-born, to ask a question like that. I wonder what it's like to ride trains everywhere like muggles? We don't get to go on the trip to London until sixth year Muggle Studies, a shame. My name is Penelope, Penelope Clearwater. You may call me Penny, as all my friends do so."

Penny didn't even wait to hear Harry's attempted introduction before wheeling his cart of luggage up and into one of the cars, and began unloading onto the floor. Harry hadn't even noticed they had left the platform, and was glad that the inside of the train was cooler than the end-of-summer air. He could hear the muffled sounds of conversations and laughter from the various compartments.

"This is the first year car, or what we like to designate it as, anyway." Harry didn't bother to ask who "we" were, but he did wonder. "That way all the first years may sit together and mingle, guess at which houses they'll be placed in, and such. I'm in Ravenclaw, myself."

Suddenly, the girl was stepping off the train and back onto the platform, taking the empty cart with her. "You'll have to stow your luggage yourself, I need to get to my car. Remember to be in your robes by the ride's end. See you at Hogwarts." Penny said the last bit over her shoulder, sifting through the streams of people and out of sight.

"...Bye, Penny." Harry said with a small smile, even though she had already gone. Not really a friend, and she seemed rather stiff, but Penny was nice. Maybe he hadn't made his first friend, but she _had_ helped him.

A soft hoot alerted Harry to the task at hand. Hedwig's wide, yellow eyes seemed to stare at him sympathetically, as she shuffled about in her cage. Quirking his lip into a playful grin, Harry set to work hoisting his luggage into the baggage compartments above while reassuring his owl. "I've done this all before Hedwig, I'll be fine. And just for the record, you'll always be my first friend-er…" Harry paused, thinking. "Well, I guess Hagrid is my first friend… So that makes you my second friend, but you'll forever be my best birthday present!" Harry finished cheekily.

Hedwig seemed to be satisfied with that, as she closed her eyes and murmured soft chirps.

As Harry stowed his luggage, he couldn't help but feel proud with how the day was moving along so far. Hagrid had been right, the barrier to platforms nine and ten had been the gateway to platform nine and three quarters-Harry didn't know _what_ he would have done if he hadn't known-and he made it on to the train, no questions asked!

_Well…_ Harry amended, _Penny _did _help me, but she offered. I didn't have to ask her._

Harry was feeling fiercely independent, and privileged too. He was to spend three-quarters of a year on his own for the first time, off to what seems to be a well-renowned magical boarding school, with a brand new set of uniforms, books, and even his own pet owl!

Beaming inwardly, Harry went to shove his last bag in. This was the bag he decided to stuff his cauldron and textbooks in, and it was rather heavy and lumpy. It would fit, but it needed a big shove to squeeze it in with the rest of his luggage. Harry couldn't help but let out a grunt as his arms shook from the strain.

"Need any help?"

Harry only nodded and sighed in relief as he felt the bag finally slide in and off his shoulders. He turned to face the direction of the voice.

"Thanks so much, I-AH!" Harry hadn't even realised he was closing his eyes from concentration, which made him yelp when he saw two, mirrored faces grinning back at him.

_They must be identical twins, _Harry thought, as he couldn't even distinguish their voices apart.

There stood two girls his age, and they looked exactly alike. Both had brown, angled, almond shaped eyes with bronze skin and sleek, black hair. They wore a different kind of clothing, ones that Harry had only seen on covers of books like _Arabian Nights_ and _Aladdin_: orange robes with a pink sash on one girl and a purple sash on the other. Harry noticed they had a foreign accent, and spoke english a bit awkwardly.

The girl with the pink sash giggled after a while, and Harry finally realized he'd been staring. He subconsciously fixed his glasses in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry about that… You guys startled me, I haven't met two people who looked so…"

"Alike?" Pink sash girl offered, smiling.

Harry shrugged his shoulders in defeat. "Something like that." He said.

"We couldn't help but notice your bird," The purple sash twin spoke suddenly. She gazed at Hedwig through her cage, reverently. "She is very beautiful."

Hedwig seemed to rouse at that, and began to preen her feathers. Harry himself couldn't help but inwardly swell in pride. "I think so too. Her name is Hedwig, she's a snowy owl."

The purple sash girl continued to look at Hedwig almost longingly, while her second half rolled her eyes up in thought. "Hedwig… That must be a regal name. A warrior's name." She said at last, giving Hedwig and Harry a smile.

"I named her after someone in my textbooks… I was skimming through it and the name stood out to me." Harry said, sheepishly.

The pink sash girl looked like she wanted to say something, when a huge rocking nearly knocked the three off their feet and had them fighting for balance. With a rush Harry noticed they must have started to move.

"Come into our compartment!" The Pink sash girl beckoned. Harry must have looked worried as he glanced at Hedwig's cage. "Bring Hedwig in as well, I am sure no one will mind!"

With that, Harry scooped up Hedwig's cage and ducked into the sliding compartment door. He sat down on one cushioned bench near the window, setting Hedwig's cage down beside him while the twins shared the other.

As soon as they had all settled down, the pink sash girl nodded her head. "I apologize for not introducing ourselves earlier. I am Parvati Patil-"

"-and I am Padma Patil." The purple sash girl finished.

"Oh, it's alright, nice to meet you… both!" Harry held out his hand-then quickly extended his second hand, trying not to appear insensitive. Luckily, he didn't see the twins biting the inside of their mouths to keep from giggling as they each extended hands for him to shake.

"And what is your name?" Parvati asked. Harry was discovering that she was the more talkative of the two.

"Harry. Harry Potter." He said without thinking, when his eyes widened. Finally remembering how everyone from the wizarding world reacted when they heard his name, he inwardly groaned. _Here it comes…_

Parvati and Padma merely smiled, and nodded in acknowledgement. Harry looked from one face to the other. He was surprised that neither had let out a shocked gasp or asked to see his scar like the rest of the wizards who found out his name. _Phew_, Harry thought, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Harry Potter. I believe it fits you." Parvati said, looking over to her sister.

Padma nodded her head. "I agree. However, I feel as if I have heard that name before…"

Before Harry had to worry about the oncoming conversation, the candy trolley had arrived. He had never seen so much candy in one place in his life. The cart was stocked with all sorts of multicolored goodies of all shapes and sizes. Harry scoured the entire cart mouthwateringly with his eyes, but couldn't find one familiar brand of candy-he never had much candy before, though-so he decided to get a little bit of everything, which made the candy lady smile. Once the compartment door slid closed again, Parvati and Padma tuned to gaze at Harry bemusedly as the candy pile sandwiched between him and Hedwig threatened to overflow onto the floor.

Harry noticed the two staring, and offered them a small box that read, _The Original Chocolate Frog _on top. "Do you want to have some? I know I won't be able to finish this all by myself! Maybe you can help me sort through the bad candy too; I've never seen wizard candy before…"

Parvati's face broke into a large smile and she eagerly leaned over to help Harry sort through his pile. Padma merely raised an eyebrow at her sister's antics, but came over to help. Harry didn't mind that Padma spent most of her time staring at Hedwig than lecturing about candy, Parvati seemed to have it totally covered.

Padma spoke up in the middle of Parvati's Chocolate Frogs explanation. "You have not had your Hedwig for very long, have you Harry?" she asked softly.

"That's right. Wait…" Harry paused after swallowing the last leg of the frog, "How'd you know? Is it that easy to tell?" he asked sadly. Harry had personally thought Hedwig and he were pretty close.

"No no, I can tell you both are good friends." Padma assured politely. "But you told me earlier that you had found a name for her in your textbooks, which you most likely have bought recently. Unless, it took you a long while to pick a name?" she quirked her lips up in a smug smirk.

Harry's eyebrows rose while Parvati rolled her eyes and turned him back towards the pile. "You have to mind my sister," she started, beginning to sift through the pile again and making a face at a carton of _Miss Potts' Piping Hot Pops_, "She enjoys solving puzzles and problems much too much."

"I don't mind. It was sort of cool, like Sherlock Holmes!" At their blank stares, Harry was quick to explain. "Er… Muggle book, I haven't even read it. Anyway, I guess that already proves you're right, Padma. I got Hedwig on my birthday, the day I figured out I was a wizard…"

With Parvati picking through the candy pile beside him and Padma watching him closely, Harry told him about his eventful summer. He told them about the numerous letters, and the final arrival of Hagrid, who told him his parents were once wizards (Harry left out how they actually died). He told both about Diagon Alley, with Gringotts, and the many shops and peddlers. The twins in turn told Harry about how they grew up in a wealthy, wizarding family in India, and how their father had sent them off to Hogwarts for a good education. Parvati and Padma laughed when Harry asked if they rode elephants every day, and they told him that they had only ridden an elephant once. They assured him elephants do not make very smooth rides.

"Bertie Bott's Every-Flavored Beans… This sounds good!" Harry exclaimed after their conversation had ended, digging through boxes and wrappers to lift up a small bag.

Parvati glanced over and shook her head. "I personally do not like them. For once, the marketing on the bag is the absolute truth. You will sometimes find a fruit flavored one, though not often. Most times the bean's tastes are rather… exotic."

Padma chuckled at Harry's befuddled face. "Go ahead and try one. I warn you, though, with a true story. You must know by now that my sister has a weakness of sweets. Once, when we were both younger, she consumed a bean that spoiled her appetite for two whole days, eating nothing during that time. I remember mother being terribly angry." Padma's lips twitched upwards, enjoying Harry's rapt attention. "To this day, my sister has not told me its flavor."

Parvati narrowed her eyes at Padma's slight smirk, making Harry laugh. Turning to focus on the candy bag in his palm, Harry pulled out a bean at random, and popped it into his mouth.

"Well? What flavor?" Padma asked.

Harry chewed for a moment, contemplating the taste. "Mmm… buttered bread?"

Parvati shuddered beside him. "Good. You are lucky to have been spared."

Parvati's look of obvious pain left Harry and Padma in stitches, waking up a dosing Hedwig beside them. Hedwig gave them a peeved stare before turning around to face the window.

"Um, excuse me?" a muffled voice asked outside.

Their merriment was interrupted by the sound of the sliding door opening again. Harry turned to find a pudgy, nervous looking boy hovering at the doorway. He spoke as unsure as he looked, Harry noticed, his eyes jumping about. Harry was tempted to compare him with Quirrell, but thought better of it. He personally thought it was too great an insult to compare anyone to the stuttering man.

The newcomer's voice became even more frantic. "Have any of you seen my toad? His name's Trevor." They boy didn't seem to notice Parvati and Padma wincing at the mentioning of a toad, he was so wrapped up in worry. "The train ride's already about halfway over, and I've been looking everywhere for him!"

"I'm afraid not…" Harry said, instantly becoming regretful as a bleak look sank into the nervous boy's face. "Would you like any help looking?" He offered.

"No, it's okay, I already have someone asking around anyway…" Slumping his shoulders, the boy turned to leave.

Harry didn't just want to let him go. "Wait! If I do find your toad-er, Trevor, who should I ask for if I want to find you?"

"Oh, of course. I'm Longbottom. Neville Longbottom." The boy swallowed a large gulp. "Oh! I better go now, you just reminded me. What if someone's found Trevor and they don't know who to give him to?" he said, looking about ready to cry.

Neville scurried out of the room before Harry could say "I hope you find him," slamming the compartment door by accident in his hurry. The room soon fell into a nice quiet afterwards.

After a while, Hedwig began to coo softly again, fluffing herself up. Harry closed his eyes, listening to her low hoots and chirps. It sounded almost like a lullaby.

He felt his eyelids begin to droop, growing heavier and heavier. _I'm having a sugar low_, Harry discovered suddenly, _I guess I never had had enough candy to crash and burn._

He struggled to stare out the window, Hedwig hoo-hooing in the background. The landscape swooshed by in a sea of forest-green, and Harry felt the train rock slightly over the uneven terrain. As he watched the trees and hills fly by, Harry thought briefly that he should be wondering which house he would belong to, like Penny had told him this morning. He wracked his brain, only remembering three houses. _Ravenclaw, like Penny; and, Slytherin like that boy from Madam Malkin's mentioned. Didn't he say something about a… Snufflehuff? …Hufflepuff!_

Harry furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. _I don't know what Ravenclaw's like, but that boy seemed to think Hufflepuff isn't a very good house to be in at all, didn't he? _Frowning, he continued, _He did seem to like Slytherin though. _ _It must be a good house, as long as the wizards who belong in it aren't as rude as he was. Witches, on the other hand, have all been reasonably polite so far._ Harry frowned further. _Funny how the word "witch" is the one with the negative association. It's hardly fair._

Harry yawned quietly. _Oh well… I might as well get some sleep since I couldn't get any last night, thinking about today. I'm sure Parvati and Padma won't mind. _Harry smiled a sleepy smile. _The wizarding world sure is wonderful…_

And with that, Harry's world faded away into the whimsical world of dreams: a world where there are lots of chocolate frogs all named Trevor, where Dudley squealed like a piglet and Hedwig rode on his head with shield and sword.

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**Again, fav and comment! I've already written the next two chapters.**

**Hope you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again!**

**Here's chapter #2, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 2**

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"Wake up, _wake up_! Right this _instant_!"

Harry moaned, expecting to see the face of an angry Uncle Vernon or an annoyed Aunt Petunia. He was surprised that he hadn't heard any of the loud, piercing raps that sounded on his cupboard door whenever the Dursleys wanted him awake. Then Harry remembered that he no longer slept in the cupboard; he slept in Dudley's old second bedroom.

His eyes finally adjusting to the bright lights around him, Harry found not a Dursley, but a thick-eyebrowed, bushy-haired girl about his age whose face hovered about five inches in front of his. He blinked. It was then he remembered that he didn't fall asleep in a bedroom at all, but in a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Express car.

"Well, it's about time!" The girl said, huffily. "We're here, everyone is unboarding the train, and you don't even have your robes on!"

Harry leapt up out of the seat, almost bumping into the bossy girl in front of him, looking all around in confusion. His voice started to rise in a slight panic. "Wait… Where did Parvati and Padma go? And Hedw-Hey, my glasses are fixed!" Harry stopped short of his panicking when he noticed the uncomfortable scratchiness of tape on his nose had disappeared.

The girl looked down at him sharply, answering his questions in a prompt manner. "Getting off the train, the Owlery, and I know. I fixed them. You shouldn't show up to a wonderful school like this with broken glasses." Her face became serious again, which reminded Harry strongly of the older girl, Penny. "Now hurry and change, or we'll be late!" she yelled, throwing one of his bags at him and slamming the compartment door after her.

As soon as the door slid closed Harry ripped open the bag and began changing as fast as he could. He thought briefly on how the girl knew which bag was his-and which one held his clothes, for that matter-but soon dismissed it as he struggled to shove a big, black cloak over his head. While fighting the fabric, he mentally slapped himself for falling asleep on the train. _That was a perfect time to learn about the wizarding world, and what did I accomplish?_ Harry inwardly grimaced. _A few bites of chocolate frog and a nap, that's what._

Sharp rapping on the door and a "hurry up" from the girl outside had him scrambling to shove his previous clothes back into the open bag. Finally finished, Harry swung open the door with his bag in hand to find the bushy-haired girl practically bouncing with impatience. "Great! You're done, finally. Now, leave the bag in the luggage compartment and let's go or _we'll be late!_"

Deciding not to ask questions, Harry threw his bag into the compartment and followed the girl, who had started running down the aisle. Harry noticed with a sickening heart that all the compartments were empty, and the only sounds he could hear were the thudding of his and the girls shoes.

Reaching the end of the car, the girl took a left and jumped out the door, Harry following right after. It was dark outside, Harry noted, before the girl had dragged him off through a thicket of trees and towards a lake bank. As the girl took off to his left, he looked out across the lake, and gaped at a view worth painting.

A large, stone castle like one from fairytales stood regally on craggy rocks over the lake, windows alit and glimmering. Among the lake bobbed little orbs of light, flickering like fireflies, as first years made their way towards Hogwarts Castle. Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight, trying to describe it all. It was completely mesmerizing, ethereal, and surreal, as if conjured up in a dream.

_Magical._ Harry beamed. _It's simply magical._

He turned to see a large, brown mass of a human lumber up to him as a familiar, gruff voice greeted his ears and made him grin.

"Ah, there yeh are, Harry my boy! Finally made yer way over, didn't yeh?"

"Hagrid!" Harry exclaimed, soon becoming enveloped in a half-giant hug and nearly suffocating because of it. "Is that really Hogwarts? It's beautiful!" Harry said, peering over his shoulder to gaze at the view once more. The sight combined with the glimmering lights left Hogwarts almost hypnotizing, if he did say so himself.

"Aye Harry, it is." Hagrid said softly. "A right sight, isn't it? Takes meh breath away e'rey time, it does. Now, come 'long this way."

Harry followed Hagrid as the giant man showed him to a lone boat, its lantern swinging in the evening breeze. Harry could just make out the face of the girl who had woken him up on the train. She looked frantic.

"All righ' Harry, in yeh get." Hagrid said. He peered over the lake. "Seems like the rest of the firs' years have already finished their boat ride. You two need some catching up to do, eh?"

The girl, who had been biting her lip silently the whole time, piped up worriedly, "Mr. Hagrid, we won't get in trouble for arriving so late, wil-"

"OFF YEH GO!" Hagrid bellowed, giving their boat a mighty shove and shooting them across the lake, causing Harry to give a little whoop with the excitedly and the girl to shriek in surprise. They were nearly drenched by the wake waves, having to hunker down and cover their heads momentarily to avoid getting soaked. Swiveling around in his seat to face where they had come, Harry watched the giant's form grow smaller and smaller as they approached the opposite bank. Hagrid was waving a large hand back and forth, so Harry lifted his own hand to wave back.

It was a little while before someone attempted to break the silence. "So… your name is Harry?"

Said boy turned around in the boat seat to face the bushy-haired girl sitting across from him. Now that she wasn't dragging him around and urging him to pick up the pace, Harry noticed, she looked quite nervous.

Harry nodded his head. "Yes that's me. Harry, Harry Potter."

He instantly regretted opening his mouth once he saw the girl's brown eyes widen.

It only took saying his last name for the girl to drop her jaw in shock, enough to see a pair of budding buckteeth. "Harry Potter? You mean you're the Harry Potter who defeated You-Know-Who? The one that survived the killing curse?!" Before Harry knew what she was doing, the girl leaned close to him in her seat, causing the boat to rock and Harry to blush. She took one hand and swiped away his messy, black bangs, leaving his pale, lightning-bolt-shaped scar to glisten in the cool, night light. "It really is you… The boy-who-lived..." she murmured.

The girl suddenly leaned back and beamed, while Harry smiled back uneasily. Her eyes glazed over and she began to gesture with her hands animatedly. "I've read so much about you, you're famous in the wizarding world! You're featured in Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, Modern Miracles, and Influential Wizards and Witches Through the Ages! Forty-third edition onward, of course. And, you're even mentioned in the seventh year History of Magic textbook… "

As the girl continued to list off countless titles, Harry grew more and more dismayed. She talked unbelievably fast, so fast he could hardly register what she was saying except for the general idea that he was in a lot of books; Harry found that to be strangely terrifying. He raised both his hands in surrender.

"Please, stop!" He said, nearly shouting and startling the girl. At her slightly shocked and hurt face, Harry immediately felt guilty. "Sorry, it's, well… I just found out about magic a few weeks ago, and I apparently defeated some dark wizard when I was only a baby and, well, it's sort of surreal and doesn't make much sense to me." Harry glanced up to see the girl looking at him queerly. "It's just really hard when I try to make friends with someone and I'm treated like some sort of celebrity…"

The girl instantly looked regretful. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry! And I'm new to the wizarding world too, you know. Muggle-born. Quite a silly word, muggle…" Finally catching up fully to Harry's mini-speech, the girl gaped. "You… You want to be my friend?" she asked, almost disbelievingly.

Harry grinned and nodded earnestly. "Sure! Of course, no more boy-who-lived talk, okay? Just think of me as your normal, average pers-wizard."

_Psh, normal._ Harry thought, snickering, _Doing you proud Uncle Vernon, doing you proud._

Inwardly amused at the irony, Harry quieted his thoughts and extended a hand out to the girl who'd retrieved him from the train. She stared at it for a while, then broke out into a big, toothy smile. She shook his hand vigorously.

"Well Harry Potter, I'm Hermione Granger. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Hermione seemed overjoyed, if not slightly dazed, and didn't seem to want to let go of his hand anytime soon. Harry didn't mind, until a jarring stop from the little boat sent Hermione falling head first into his chest, and toppling on his back. The two of them hit the boat's bottom with a sounding THUD. Harry blinked his eyes dazedly as a growing number of voices grew louder and louder and his vision returned.

"Did she say Harry Potter?"

"Harry Potter is here? Are you sure-"

"-here's the scar? They say Potter has a scar where You-Know-Who casted the-"

"Hey, don't say that out loud, it's insensit-"

"CHILDREN!" Silence immediately ensued. "Please, settle down! That will be quite enough!"

Harry, finally shaking off the rest of the dizziness, sat up and looked around. Peering around Hermione's bushy hair (who had since then jumped off of his chest in poorly-disguised embarrassment as soon as she came to her senses), Harry looked up to see they had reached the far bank. A group of children were standing-now quietly-in a wide arch a fair distance away, while a tall, elderly woman was walking briskly over in long, fast strides. Harry's eyes widened in spite of himself. _This woman just exudes classic witch,_ he thought as the woman narrowed her eyes.

"Thank you for taking your sweet time in arriving, Mr. Potter and Miss Granger if I am correct. I trust that you will not be so tardy when classes start, hm?" The woman said, seemingly irritated as the children behind her snickered. However, at Harry's downcast face and Hermione's panicked "Oh of course not, Professor McGonagall!" she gave them a hardly-noticeable wink and a forgiving smile, helping them up and out of the boat. Harry's eyebrows furrowed in his attempt to place the woman's accent.

The woman ushered them towards the other children and gave them all a parting word, turning to gaze at the sea of anxious faces. "To summarize what I've just told your fellow students, I welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And as Miss Granger said, I am Professor McGonagall, teacher of Transfiguration and Head of Gryffindor House." She paused to beckon them towards the door. "I will alert the headmaster to your arrival. Please take this time to make yourselves look… presentable."

Harry looked at his feet apologetically as Professor McGonagall took in his disheveled hair and robes. He sighed inwardly, remembering his mad scramble to change clothes on the train. The woman, who Harry had finally identified as Scottish, merely shook her head wearily. "I'll be back momentarily," she said. Pausing, she added one more word over her shoulder. "Oh, and would someone please explain the house system to Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, please? I'm afraid we're behind schedule as it is."

The sound of the great doors slipping shut signaled a huge onslaught of chatter as everyone rushed to see "the-boy-who-lived" up close. Harry was instantly reminded of his time at The Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid, as he found himself shaking hands with everyone he turned to. He was careful in keeping his hair bangs down this time though, to hide his scar, yet he earned himself another round of gasps and looks of awe when he slipped up and said 'Voldemort,' much to his dismay.

It was only after Hermione had finished prepping herself and taming her hair as best she could was Harry rescued, and she shooed everyone away-save Parvati and Padma, who Harry had been desperately relieved to be back with again-and began to work on Harry's robes. All too soon, Harry had a glimpse of what having a mother was like.

"My goodness, Harry, Professor McGonagall was right. You do look dreadful!" Harry only smiled warily as Hermione continued to tut and fuss about his clothes, straightening and setting this and that, while Parvati and Padma watched with small smirks. He ducked his head when he noticed many of the other students were still watching them, just now from a distance, whispering and pointing. Hermione either was oblivious or was simply ignoring them, as she continued to go about straightening his tie. Looking up at him, her eyes brightened. "Isn't Professor McGonagall just marvelous, though? She was the one who came to my house to tell me I was a witch. I'm guessing Mr. Hagrid was the one who told you, since you already knew him. Oh, but you should have seen her Harry, she turned right into a cat!" she said, smiling that toothy grin again before quieting to tame Harry's wild hair; it was proving difficult when Harry continued to duck his head away from her hands.

Padma nodded sagely. "She must be an animagus, then. A wizard or witch who may take the form of their animal counterpart." She smiled softly. "It is amusing, though. Cats are lions at heart, just lacking in stature."

At Harry's blank look, Parvati piped up. "What my sister is refering to is Gryffindor's symbol, the lion. Which reminds me, Harry, you have not been told of the four houses, have you? And no," Parvati smirked at him when he gestured to Hermione, "Hermione does not need telling. She was the one who told us while in the train car. You had fallen asleep." Parvati said, smirking at him. Padma tried to reassure Harry that it was fine and he looked sweet when he slept, but that only made him blush embarrassedly.

"At Hogwarts, the first of students are placed into one of four houses, dependent on their character: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin." Parvati began. "A house is akin to a second family, and will likely be where we make our friends."

Hermione piped up, the need to spout her knowledge proving too great. By then she had moved on from Harry's hair to grabbing his glasses and cleaning them, much to his protest. "Housemates attend classes together, and points given and taken away based on behavior…"

Even though the girls were discussing the House system he had been so anxious to learn about, Harry was having a hard time paying attention. The three girls were facing him, so they couldn't see, but Harry couldn't help but stare at a group of three boys located a ways away from the rest of student crowd, talking amongst themselves and sometimes smirking at select students who didn't know they were watching. They had their backs to him, and Harry wasn't wearing his glasses, so it took a few seconds for him to recognize one of them as the first wizard his age he met, the one from Madam Malkin's.

Probably feeling the weight of Harry's eyes on him, the blonde boy suddenly whipped around and met his gaze. It was harmless enough, a silent sizing-up of sorts, until the boy's eyes slid downwards. Harry watched as the boy expression went from passive noting of Parvati and Padma, to a feral gleam when landing on Hermione. Harry clenched his jaw involuntarily, as the boy and his two beefy companions strode over.

"Harry Potter."

The boy spoke sharply, his trio skirting around Padma. As the blonde boy came around to face him, Harry was reminded of a strutting bird. "So, it's true then. You have come to Hogwarts after all." the boy said airily.

Harry nodded, unsure of how to respond. He glanced back and forth at the two other boys, their presence imposing. The blonde boy followed his gaze.

"Oh, these two? Crabbe and Goyle. Our fathers are friends." he said, speaking nonchalantly. Harry slowly nodded again, in understanding this time. By "friends," he must mean "well connected associates," Harry thought. He fought and failed to control a creeping smile as the boy raised one eyebrow at him. _How can anyone's face be so expressive?_

Obviously mistaking his smile to mean acceptance, the blonde boy grinned back. He thrust his hand forward, and adopted a snooty air. "Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." he announced.

Harry grasped his hand and shook it, as it wasn't polite to refuse a handshake. Besides, it wasn't as if this Draco boy was mean-spirited; at the very least, Draco was the only young wizard he'd met so far that hadn't freaked out over his scar, excluding Crabbe and Goyle. Harry decided to excuse the boy's only known episode of rudeness at Madam Malkin's as irritation of a long day spent shopping.

…Until Draco turned up his nose at Hermione, that is. "You do seem like a smart one, Potter," the boy started, Harry wincing at the harsh unfamiliarity, "After all, you wouldn't want to make friends with the wrong sort."

Hermione, who had just finished wiping Harry's second glasses' lens, glanced up to find one Draco Malfoy shooting her a disgusted look, making Harry regret the recent handshake. Hermione's eyes widened a bit at the blonde's disgusted sneer, but then surprisingly, rolled. What shocked Harry and Draco most though, was even though there was a little bit of hurt in her eyes, a small, knowing smile remained on her face after been given what apparently was an insult.

By then Professor McGonagall had returned and all the students were filing behind her through the entrance doors. Hermione shuffled awkwardly over to where Harry stood and plopped his finished lenses onto his face. Parvati openly glared down Malfoy for a long few seconds before dragging her sister and Hermione away with a "shameful." Harry was reassured by a last forgiving glance from Padma before the girls disappeared from sight entirely; Harry heard Hermione telling the two of things like "cooties" and "boys are all the same" as they traveled into the crowd and out of sight.

Draco was stuttering (he must have heard too) as he followed behind Harry, keeping up with everyone as they entered the castle, while Harry was biting his lip to keep from snickering. Now he could see why Hermione had smiled, even if it was brief. Personally, Harry never minded being around girls, unlike Dudley and most boys his age (even though he didn't get to spend much time with anyone, because of his cousin). Apparently, Draco shared the same mindset. And, apparently, the wizarding world wasn't as different from his world as he expected. Not if boys here still believed in… pft, _cooties_.

Harry bit back a grin as the blonde boy caught up with him. Crabbe and Goyle looked a bit green, but Draco was exasperated. "C-c… Did she just say… _cuties?_ … Really… call m-er, _us_ c-cu… UGH, how_ vulgar!_" he nearly squeaked, attracting a few curious stares in his direction.

At the boy's bugged out eyes and horrified expression, Harry couldn't hold it in anymore. He dissolved into a fit of laughter as they all passed through a wide pair of doors.

Draco seemed unimpressed. "What's so funny?" he shot back, prickling.

"Oh gosh, your face!" Harry barely said before giggling again, causing the blonde to become even more befuddled, and slightly irritated. Harry decided explaining the complex existence of cooties to Draco was futile, and just waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I _certainly_ agree with you. How will we _ever_ survive _years_ of attending classes _side by side_ with _them_?" Harry asked, his voice attempting to bleed sarcasm. He had to bite his lip again as Draco visibly relaxed.

"Exactly! Someone _finally_ understands!" Draco exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. He smirked impishly. "But don't worry, you've just inspired me a plan to make sure they know their place…"

"Know their place?" God, whatever did the girls in his life do to him to make him this frightened? Harry thought, giggles threatening to return. Though Harry though this boy was an utter brat, he was hilarious, even if he didn't mean to be.

It was then that the crowd of children in front of them stopped. Harry jumped, finally aware where he was standing: the Great Hall. Harry could never argue with the room's name now; it was huge and lit and sparklingly beautiful. The room really did look medieval, fit for kings and queens to feast with their courts!

Candles were floating around him everywhere, glistening in the… night sky? Indoors? Harry furrowed his eyebrows-he'll have to ask about that. Turning around behind him, he saw the other, older students sitting at four great, big tables, who were looking at his group expectantly, or chattering to each other. In front of him, Professor McGonagall stood beside a small, knobbly stool. There atop the stool, sat a dirty brown, old hat.

Harry opened his mouth to ask why everyone was staring at a tattered hat, when Draco shot him a peeved look that clearly meant "shut up." Before Harry had a chance to feel irritated, he froze.

The hat suddenly blinked-how it did so without eyes, Harry had no idea-and one of it's seams ripped open wide, like a mouth. Harry was gobsmacked as words tumbled out of the patched felt.

The hat was _singing!_

~.~

_Oh you may not think me pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!_

~.~

The sound of clapping rebounded off the stone walls of the Great Hall as the Sorting Hat did some sort of makeshift bow. Harry quickly clapped along with everyone else, though he was inwardly troubled.

As the hat had been singing, Harry had grown more and more bewildered. He had hoped there would be a house that stood out as definitely his, but Harry couldn't see where he'd fit in. Not Ravenclaw; he didn't feel he was smart enough. As for Gryffindor, Harry didn't feel very brave. That left Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Harry wasn't sure whether Slytherin's "any means to achieve their ends" sat well with him, and Hufflepuff's reputation didn't seem too very good-although Harry definitely was no stranger to toil, thanks to the Dursleys. He sighed.

_Well, I guess I have no idea where I'm going… But what am I worried about? I'll be happiest wherever the sorting hat sorts me, right? It is its one job after all, and it probably knows what it's doing._

"Your choice Potter," Draco said, cutting through Harry's thoughts. Only a few seconds later did Harry realize he had been talking out loud. "Though I already know for sure where I'm going." he said, smirking at Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry nodded absentmindedly, feeling the hairs on his neck prickle. Jerking around, he caught Padma staring at him intently. Upon noticing him staring back, she whirled back to face the front, whispering heatedly into Parvati and Hermione's ears.

_Oh no, not them too?_ Harry thought.

His musings were soon banished as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

She gave all Harry's yearmates a cool glance. "Now when I call your name," she said, a list suddenly appearing in her hands, "you will come forth, sit on the stool, and be sorted into your houses. We begin." she cleared her throat once more. "Abbot, Hannah."

_Alphabetically? Rats! _Harry thought sourly_, I've got a while to wait..._

* * *

**_Cooties._**

**Their reign will never end.**

**.**

**.**

**.**

**Okay, on a more serious note, sorry for leaving you in this weird sort of cliffhanger... But I'm getting to it, don't you worry :D Revising third chapter, working on the rest. Mmm... I think I'll have the next chapter up by Friday night, although I'm not sure when I'll have the fourth chapter up (it might be a while...)**

**_COMMENT_ and fav!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'll reserve judgement for this chapter for the end.**

**Please, continue. :D**

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

_McGonagall gave all Harry's yearmates a cool glance. "Now when I call your name," she said, a list suddenly appearing in her hands, "you will come forth, sit on the stool, and be sorted into your houses. We begin." she cleared her throat once more. "Abbot, Hannah."_

Harry watched as a kind-faced girl walked up and placed the hat on her head. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous-she didn't look one bit nervous.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Everyone clapped politely as the girl walked off, beaming towards a cheering table. They wore yellow and black ties there, and a matching smile on their face.

Harry glanced over at Draco when he made a sound of disbelief. "Tch, Hufflepuffs. Total pansies. Just look at them all."

He turned back to the second table. Personally, Harry didn't see anything wrong, but Draco continued to screw his face into one of loathing. "They're always so sugary sweet and happy all the blasted time! It's _sickening_!"

Harry just rolled his eyes quietly-Draco's antagonism was starting to get on his nerves-and turned back to the front where another girl had already sat herself down. It didn't take the hat long to sort this one.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The girl pranced off to the same table as Abbot did, while Draco sighed dramatically. Harry was tempted to shoot him a peeved look. He wasn't surprised that the blonde clapped over-enthusiastically for a heavy-set girl who was sorted into Slytherin.

"Crabbe, Vincent."

Harry whirled around to the boy whose name was just called. Draco was quickly whispering something into Crabbe's ear that Harry couldn't catch, gesturing and smirking. Crabbe smirked back-although his didn't seem nearly as sinister, more like a goofy grin-and he bumbled up to the stool. It only took a moment for the hat to make up it's mind.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Harry clapped politely as he watched as Crabbe made his way over to his new house's table. Crabbe had begun whispering like Draco had done into one of the older boy's ear, making the older boy smile a feral grin. Harry shuddered and turned away, just early enough to miss the swishing of the older boy's wand.

McGonagall continued on with the list, with one Timothy Durkwood sorted into Ravenclaw, a Seamus Finnegan sorted to Gryffindor, and Goyle into Slytherin. Harry noted passively, that by the house's cheering, Ravenclaw was overall pretty aloof, and Gryffindor very boisterous. Slytherin was… a strange mixture of the two?

Harry perked up again after hearing the Scottish witch call for one "Granger, Hermione."

The girl was talking to herself as she made her way to the stool, making Harry smile a bit. That smile flickered though when a redheaded boy snorted and muttered "completely mental." Harry shot him a glare along with Draco, but he was pretty sure that Draco had different incentives as to why the glare was given.

Once the hat had been placed on Hermione's bushy-haired head, Harry waited… for a relatively long while. The hat was taking its time, and Hermione was slowly growing stressed and agitated under its brim as the seconds ticked by-though Harry couldn't understand why-until her eyes met his. He was surprised and confused to see her sigh and sort of deflate in defeat, and the Sorting Hat immediately gave its verdict.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Harry blinked. Didn't see that one coming. I thought she was ravenclaw for sure.

Hermione slid off the stool and gave a pained smile from under the hat's brim towards her new housemates, who were clapping cheerily. Harry clapped enthusiastically with them along with the Patil twins, and that pudgy boy… Neville was it?

However, when the freshly-sorted Hufflepuff went to take off the hat…

"...MUDBLOOD!"

.

.

.

And then the entire Great Hall was silent.

.

.

.

Deadly silent.

.

.

.

Harry looked around the room warily. He had no idea what this "mudblood" word meant-Hermione didn't either by the look of confusion and anxiousness on her face-but apparently everyone else did. The eerily quiet was unsettling.

He blinked. _I thought Hogwarts only had four houses?_

Poor Hermione was standing frozen and wide-eyed on the podium. Her hand was still clutching the tattered felt rim of the hat, unsure whether she was allowed to take it off. She looked about ready to pass out or vomit with all the horrified stares coming her way, and she was teetering on her feet. Professor McGonagall rushed to Hermione's side to steady her-the girl had toppled to the side by a dangerous amount-and slowly pried the hat out of the girl's tense fingers and off her head. Once placing the hat back on the school, McGonagall looked behind her to the head table with an anxious expression on her face.

Harry followed her gaze. The faces of the professors were mirroring those of the students: a mix of shock, disbelief, pity, and varying degrees of anger. Some, like a dumpy, grey-haired woman looked ready to claw someone to bits. A rather tiny man's face was scrunched up in what was probably meant to be a mask of fury, but looked like a pout because of his size. Although there were some, like a man in a turban and a woman with googly-like glasses, who just looked around cluelessly. Harry spied one dark man looking a picture of composure, despite the scowl on his face, though Harry knew better. Although the man's gaze was trained on the Slytherin table, Harry could still see the anger that seethed in the man's two, black eyes.

_Cr-reak._

Thankfully, the silence was soon stolen by by the soft, scraping sound of wood on wood, although it made Harry jump. The oldest man at the staff table, the one seated in the center right behind Hermione, slowly rose from his seat. The first thing Harry noticed after the long white beard, was the old man's eyes. They were a most shocking blue.

_This is the wizard who Hagrid was talking about. Dumbledore, the one who rescued me from my old house…_ Harry thought, in wonder. The old wizard had moved away from his seat, and was walking down the steps to the platform where McGonagall and Hermione were standing. Hermione was deathly pale by now, and Harry could see her limbs quaking. She began to spout numerous, murmuring apologies until the old wizard put a hand on her shoulder. He inspected the hat with his other hand, shared a look with Professor McGonagall, and then turned to face the Great Hall.

It was a few seconds before Dumbledore spoke.

"...It pains me," he started, shocking Harry at how truly saddened and tired he sounded, "that someone, some child here, would do this to a fellow student. Such an… advanced spell." The old man's eyes swept the entire room, while everyone tensed. He sighed and pulled out a wand, muttering a long string of words. "Let it be known that whoever has dirtied the memory of what was supposed to be a night of festivities, the Welcoming Feast, for everyone here tonight-especially this young witch, who certainly deserves to be here-will be dealt with accordingly. By their head of house, and then by me."

Harry felt Draco and Goyle suddenly flinch beside him. He noticed that, even though the headmaster had not focused his eyes on anyone in particular, everyone seemed to be glaring at the same table the dark man was earlier.

_Why Slytherin? And what in earth is a mudblood?!_

Harry's attention returned to the front again when Dumbledore stepped towards a severely flustered Hermione Granger, speaking in a grandfatherly voice. "Miss Granger," he bowed his head, "On behalf of everyone here at Hogwarts and the castle itself, I sincerely apologize."

She spoke something so quietly and rapidly Harry couldn't hear, though it was most obviously a string of "it's okay"s. She wobbled after nodding heavily, Professor McGonagall having to stable her again.

Dumbledore nodded sagely, and Harry thought he saw his eyes twinkle slightly. "Thank you." he murmured. Turning back to the Head Table, he addressed the dumpy witch. "Now, Pamona, would you mind choosing one of young Miss Granger's housemates to assist her to Madam Pomfrey's ward? I'm afraid this recent event has been quite stressful for her."

Harry watched as "Pamona" gave him a sharp nod, and called forth one Mr. Diggory: an athletic-looking Hufflepuff boy with a winning smile that looked only a few years older than Harry. Though of course, the boy wasn't smiling now-he was looking at his new housemate with obvious concern.

Loud murmuring quickly broke out as the door to the Great Hall closed behind the hobbling pair. Dumbledore had made his way back to his seat, motioning for a disgruntled McGonagall to continue calling out names. Harry fidgeted as the hat started up again, sorting an Astoria Greengrass to Slytherin. The cheers of the four tables-even from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff-were all subdued; the once-colorful atmosphere seemed… like Dumbledore had said… dirty.

"Longbottom, Neville."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped pointedly for the nervous boy, not laughing with the others when Longbottom started to scuttle off towards the Gryffindor table with the hat still on his head. Harry knew he'd be lucky to get up to that stool without tripping over himself on the stairs.

He glanced to his left. Malfoy had been strangely quiet for a while-his grey eyes just about gleamed with excitement. It only took Harry a few seconds to remember which letter comes after "L." It wasn't surprising at all when the hat screamed "SLYTHERIN" before the felt even touched the boy's head. While Malfoy swaggered like a peacock over to the table lined with silver and green, Harry's brows creased. _Why do I get the feeling that it's either the stuck-up snobs or the jerks that get sorted into Slytherin? He thought, shoulders sagging. Oh well. I guess Hufflepuff it is._

…At least, I hope.

The time went by too quickly; Padma and Parvati had just become a Ravenclaw and Gryffindor, respectively. Harry mopped his brow, subconsciously straightening his glasses. Just like in primary school, he could tell when a teacher was about to call his name. He didn't have to wonder much when Professor McGonagall caught his eyes and a brief smile flashed on her usually stoic face.

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry gulped as the entire Great Hall fell silent for the second time that evening. Taking one last second to flatten his hair down-which had somehow gotten messy again-Harry shuffled out of the protective huddle of remaining first years and up onto the podium. He almost felt naked sitting on the little, three-legged stool, watching what felt like hundreds of pairs of eyes trained on him. He only felt a bit calmer when the brim of the tattered hat blocked his vision, hiding the Great Hall's expecting faces. But that calm was soon thrown to the wind when a quiet, deep voice seemed to ring not in Harry's ear, but in his head.

"Ah, so you are the famous Harry Potter! You won't believe the number of girls and boys that asked to be sorted into the house you'd be sorted into. As if I would do such a thing! Hah! Hm, thought you'd be taller-that, and a lot less malnourished. Merlin, does anyone feed you boy?!"

Harry almost fell off the stool in shock. _"...E-excuse me?"_

"Kneazle got your tongue? Ah, but don't worry. Muggleborns are always like this when they put me on-even though you're a half-blood… strange. Anyway, before you go asking, yes, it's the hat that's talking."

_"Wha-but how?"_

"How? Well, that's bit of a long story, but since I'm planning that as a song for a future year, I'm not going to tell you. It would ruin the surprise! Don't worry though-you should still be around to hear it!" Harry felt a strange tickling in the back of his mind, as if the hat was laughing. "Now, I think I owe you a thank you. I've had three children so far take your words of wisdom to heart. 'The Sorting Hat knows what its talking about,' indeed. Especially that one girl-so determined to get into Gryffindor. I'm ever so glad she decided to listen to me, she'll really grow into her potential now…"

Harry's head was spinning. The hat mind-talked rather quickly, and it was hard to keep up. That and having the voice echoing in his brain was starting to give him a headache.

"-et on with your sorting, shall we? I've delayed it long enough. Now, let's see… A decent mind, mmhm… Ah, you _do_ have a big heart. A Gryffindor heart, maybe, brave and true… And what's this? Ambition, lots of it. A desperate need to prove yourself… Slytherin, perhaps? Yes, you could be great there…"

Harry felt sick as he remembered the words from Ollivander's: _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things, Harry Potter. Terrible things, but great._

_"You, uh, couldn't possibly consider sorting me into a house other than Slytherin, if that's okay?"_ Harry timidly interrupted. He wasn't sure whether he liked what being "great" would entail.

Harry could somehow tell the hat snorted. "Couldn't possibly…? Why, hypocrite much, Harry Potter! How about you take the same medicine you doled out to your friends-I do know what I'm doing after all, you said so yourself! …However," The hat paused and Harry tensed, "I am on the fence with you. You're not so obvious… It would be different if I was indecisive with two houses like Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw and Slytherin… but Gryffindor and Slytherin of all things? Hmm… you wouldn't mind if I took a read of your history, do you? A little below-the-surface sweep, perhaps?"

Harry nodded uncertainly. He had no idea what "a little below-the-surface sweep" would entail, but he was starting to become conscious of how long his sorting was taking, and Harry was pretty sure five people would have been sorted in the time he and The Hat had spent by now.

The hat gave him no warning-one second he was in the Great Hall just waiting for his sorting to finish, and suddenly he was watching flashes of scenes and people fly by, almost like one of those old-timey, silent films. Harry froze. That was hislife he was watching.

Rewinding.

The hat's voice narrated while visions of most recent events flashed by. "Let's see, let's see… this'll only take a moment, I just want to see what your home life was like and how you interact with others; it tells a lot about a person, you know. Hmm… from what I see, you haven't interacted much with children your own age-you seemed so excited at the mere prospect of friendship. I wonder why that is… Oh! Oh, dear…"

Harry tried to keep from wincing as the scenes of him, Padma, and Parvati on the train faded out to the daily goings on at #4 Privet Drive. He watched himself slave away in the garden for long hours in the beating summer sun; scrub feverishly at the floors and windows of every room; and, repeatedly nick and burn his hands as he cooked every outlandish meal the Dursleys made him prepare. The scenes soon focused on just the Dursleys' interactions with Harry: Dudley and his gang pounding Harry to the ground, Aunt Petunia's blatant ignorance of Harry's existence, and, worst of all, Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon yelling at Harry so loud his ears rang, Uncle Vernon laughing as Aunt Marge set Ripper loose on him, Uncle Vernon throwing Harry's already frail body into his cupboard head-first, and keeping him there without food for three days because Harry had made the huge mistake of saying the m-word._ Magic_. An ugly, scraping sound was growing louder and louder until it drowned out all his thoughts:

...eak, freak, Freak, FREAK, FREAK!

Suddenly Harry felt a quaking jerk and, as quick as the scenes appeared, they were gone; he was back in the familiar, shaded view of the Great Hall. Harry's vision was blurring-his head now hurt like crazy and he felt completely drained and defeated. It was such a long pause before the hat spoke that Harry almost thought the hat was done talking to him-talking to a freak. He bowed his head.

The hat's tone was surprisingly sorrowful. "...Oh, Harry," the Hat muttered, "I… I'm so-why didn't you say something? I never never would have wanted you to go through… to watch yourself be abused and neglected like that!"

Now Harry's head was hurt, surprised_ and_ bewildered. _Abused? Neglected? ...Well, I probably didn't grow up like normal boys, but that doesn't mean I was abused! Children who are abused are beaten 'til they're barely alive! Have truly despicable things done to them! _Harry shook his head mentally, and tried to drive the recent flashes of memory at the Dursleys' to the back of his mind_. Sure Dudley and his gang were an utter menace, but the hat is wrong. I'm sort of lucky; well, comparatively. I just had less-than preferable living quarters and more chores than normal-and I had less to eat, but I'm glad I'm not a pig like ol' 'Dudders.' Yuck_. He shuddered.

Meanwhile, the Sorting Hat had continued its analysis. "-ertainly a hard worker, I can see that now. But your home life… Mmm, you're a survivor all right, to suffer through all that…" Harry inwardly grimaced again-it wasn't abuse. "That, along with your past? Very Slytherin. They are the house of the survivors-and the thrivers-of this world. _The Greats._ Slytherin's lot'll teach you the ways of getting by at first, but by the time you're done with your seven years, you'll have gained the tools to owning the world!"

Harry frowned desperately. He didn't want to own the world. He just wanted somewhere to _belong._

_"...Are you certain that this will be the best path for me? I mean, it seems like the Slytherins are a particularly nasty bunch… If I go to Slytherin, that doesn't mean I'm…"_ Harry paused before revealing the thought that had plagued him since he received his wand at Ollivander's, _" evil, am I?"_

The hat scoffed. "Harry, you are most certainly _not_ evil. To be perfectly honest, I really do think that you'll be great wherever you go. I'm sure all the other houses will be as equally happy to have you as Slytherin will. Just know this," The hat suddenly took a grave tone. "At The Sorting's very core,_ the student_ is the ultimate decision maker. No one is ever predestined to one path or another; choices are made that decide where one travels in life, and what they achieve. You call the shots, my lad, with me standing as your humble advisor. Am I absolutely, _positively_ certain that this will be the _best_ path for you to take? No. But if you think about it, no one can ever be sure in life, not really. As a wise man I know would say, 'That would ruin the fun of it all, wouldn't?' You see Harry, I just have this feeling, a feeling that Slytherin will take you far. ...You remind me strongly of a boy I sorted years ago, did you know?"

Harry didn't really know how to answer that, so he just nodded his head slowly.

The hat did some sort of harumph. "Well Harry, I guess this is farewell. For now, at least. I do hope you'll visit me sometimes, I get lonely often, just sitting in Albus-er, Headmaster Dumbledore's office, composing my next song. I really believe you're something special. Am I right in thinking you've decided to take my advice?" At Harry's second round of hesitated nodding, the hat continued with a hint of smugness in its voice. "I thought so. And since I like you kid, a little parting advice: the key to making it far in Slytherin, is learning how to delve beneath the surface-be it places you see, problems you face, or people you encounter-and discovering that things are not always as they seem. …Oh, goodness look at the time! I think everyone's waited long enough, don't you agree? Until next time, Harry Potter!

"SLYTHERIN!"

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**...Is it over?  
UGH! I wanted to scream at this chapter... The sorting hat scene was fun to write. Everything else was just _painful_.**

**Anyway, please comment and fave! (faves are nice, but comments are worth 10 faves!)**


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